Seven out of ten women surveyed by CCM Benchmark who buy cosmetics online say they go for facial care products - creams, washes and cleansers - and more than 60% use the web to buy makeup and body care products. Hair care was the fourth most popular segment for online purchases.
The survey asked 1000 women to reveal their internet spending habits, and is the sister study to a survey that asked 732 men the same questions, the results of both making up the report ‘Beauté et digital’ by the French market research firm.
Brand dominance
In France, brand sites are apparently winning out over the retail marketplaces, with 57% of respondents saying they have purchased directly from a brand with 50% saying they have used a beauty retailer, such as Sephora.
Ecommerce marketplaces like Amazon, however, are attracting even fewer beauty consumers, with just 32% purchasing from them, suggesting French consumers prefer the security of using branded channels.
Online experience
While the majority are still using desktops or laptops to shop online, mobile retail is taking up a sizeable chunk of sales, with 28% of consumers questioned stating that they make purchases via their smartphones.
Nearly all the consumers (over 90%) said they found shopping for beauty online a satisfying experience, praising the ease of navigation around sites, of placing orders and of finding researched products.
Indeed, research was a key theme among responses, with many subscribed to beauty bloggers on various social media channels: 83% on Facebook, 43% on YouTube and 28% on Instagram.
Natural vs conventional
The internet is the third most prevalent channel of retail for naturals and organics, according to the data, with 30% of purchases of these types of products being done online.
The category is big among French consumers: 80% say they buy natural or organic cosmetics products, and 37% say they buy organic beauty products more often than conventional ones.